I love reading books, talking about books and sharing children's and young adult books with anyone who is willing to listen and chat. I have been a kindergarten teacher, a primary teacher, a teacher-librarian, a book reviewer and a workshop presenter for more than 30 years and have an endless, abiding passion for getting great books into the hands of children, young adults, teachers and parents. I hope you find something here that you will love; and then you can pass it on to someone you love!

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Saturday, April 13, 2013

HAVE YOU SEEN MY NEW BLUE SOCKS? Written by Eve Bunting and illustrated by Sergio Ruzzier. Clarion, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Thomas Allen & Son, 2013. $19.99 ages 3 and up

"Did you look inside your box?
Did you ask your friend the fox?
I may have seen your new blue socks -
I saw some socks down on the rocks."

"Thank you, thank you, Mr. Ox!
I'm off to find my new blue socks."

Now, this is one of those books you should get into the hands of little ones wanting to read on their own! The lilting rhymes will have them helping out after the first share, and they will just go on from there to read it again and again.

Poor Duck! He's lost his new socks. We all know how that feels, I think. Losing something is tough enough, never mind when it is brand new. He looks where he thinks they might be, but has no luck. The socks aren't in the box. Fox and Ox haven't seen them either. A suggestion that there might be socks by the rocks lead to the discovery of purple socks. Duck's socks are blue. His last hope is that a flock of peacocks may have seen them. Luckily, one very observant young peacock has the answer to the mystery of the disappearing socks.

Eve Bunting's rhymes move the story from page to page in quick time. They are funny, and endearing. There is such joy in the reading. I can't wait to share it with little friends and their teachers. Sergio Ruzzier's detailed artwork allows for discussion and discovery. From the grape-eating, book-reading fox to the color-deficit artistic ox and finally to the strutting, observant littlest peacock, he grabs our attention and adds even more pleasure to this most enjoyable read.

Everyone wants to help and Duck is delighted when it is finally pointed out to him where his socks have been all the time. Joyous and full of heart, this new tale by an inspired pair of artists garners a "10" in my books!

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About Me

I am a retired teacher and teacher-librarian whose interest in children's literature became an obsession when my kids were young and I was able to spend a year at home with them, learning about the unprecedented growth in the number of books being published with children in mind. I had always been a reader, thanks to the example my parents set for my brother and I, and I wanted to pass on my love of reading to them. But, I wanted to share the best books I could find...and so my search began. I am still searching every day, despite the fact that they are grown and gone.